Norway has announced it has increased maritime patrols near important offshore gas pipelines off its coast. This is a response to the growing activity of the Russians in this area. Recently, aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Air Force managed to film a Russian submarine in the vicinity of critical underwater infrastructure.

The activity of Russian submarines off the coast of Norway increased after the invasion of Ukraine. After the reduction of gas supplies from Russia to European countries, it was Norway that became the main supplier of the raw material.

Recall that in September last year, explosions destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that run through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany . It is known that this was a deliberate attack, but it has not been ultimately confirmed who is behind it.

NBC News publishes videos that were shot from Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft. One of them shows the periscope of the Russian nuclear submarine protruding from under the water . According to journalists, under the waters of the North Sea, there are Norwegian oil and gas pipelines in this place.

The head of the Royal Norwegian Navy, Rear Admiral Rune Andersen, revealed that not only have more Russian patrols been observed in recent times, but also their behavior has changed. He described them as “more unpredictable” and some of their maneuvers as “more aggressive”.

Norwegian officers add that Russian submarines, ships and planes in the area appear to be keeping an eye on Norwegian gas pipelines. This raises suspicions of Russian surveillance.

According to Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Polish-American diplomat, political scientist and expert at the Atlantic Council think tank, taking into account Russia’s sabotage activities abroad so far, Norway and its NATO allies must remain vigilant. “The list of what the Russians have done in the field of deception, subversion and assassination is long,” Brzezinski said, quoted by NBC News.